Carr: Roscommon have will to win

IT was all smiles and hand-shakes in Bank of Ireland centre yesterday. John Maughan and Tommy Carr have a friendship stretching back over two decades, and it shows.

This was friendly fare, far removed from what we can expect in Sunday's Connacht football final.

When Mayo and Roscommon meet for the saucer-shaped Nestor Cup, something tends to give. Along the Moy, they are still sore about Gerry Lohan's poxy goal that robbed them of the title in 2001, while this Roscommon side just need a provincial title to prove their worth, after travelling to Croker last year by the scenic route.

"We have played 10 championship games in last two years, and lost two of them," Roscommon manager Carr says. "There is a huge amount of belief and will to win and point to prove. Those characteristics will determine who will win on Sunday. One of the comments from Mayo players is that it was a poxy goal that beat them three years ago. Record stands up that Mayo are in the driving seat at the moment."

As was noted, they are fresher. After a shaky 15 minutes against Galway, Maughan's side steadied themselves to produce one of the finest Mayo displays in a long time. It makes them raging hot favourites for Sunday.

"We are wary of Sunday," Maughan said. "We are fresher than Roscommon, but I don't think that will make any difference. The game against Galway has given us real confidence, they are the benchmark in Connacht. If you beat a Galway team, you feel you have something."

Of course, Maughan has Kieran McDonald and David Brady back, two of the more divisive issues since he regained the reins in his native county. After so long with no discussion on the topic, the Mayo manager was pleased to chat about the two stars yesterday. "Kieran McDonald hadn't played in 18 months, but we were keen to have him back. He's not a great man to travel, so we waited until after the New York game and sat down with him for a couple of hours. There was no problem with the rest of the team, he was welcomed back, if I thought it would have caused friction, I wouldn't have upset the panel of players.

"There is a perception that there is a personality conflict and there's not. It was one of the first things Kieran McDonald said to me. He is from the same club, I know him all his life. He played a game against Fermanagh where he had a poor game and took a bit of stick from the crowd. He stopped playing inter-county football, but I have never had a difficulty with him or David Brady."

McDonald has fitted seamlessly into an attack that nailed 18 points against Galway. Mayo supporters have been waiting a long time to see their forward line score such a total. The county, famed for its lack of accurate forwards, now seem to be bursting at the seams with them.

Maughan can't go anywhere in Mayo without people wondering aloud how Louisburgh sensation Austin O'Malley is sitting on the bench, after scoring 1-51 in the league.

"We have a couple of nice young forwards. Conor Mortimer has matured, only 22 years of age, his brother Trevor has brought Conor into his game. Kieran McDonald is capable of outrageous scores. We have six, seven great forwards. It is something we didn't have in the past, naturally scoring forwards."

While Mayo is peppered with individual brilliance, Carr has been preaching the team ethic with Roscommon. Even though they have stars like Frankie Dolan and Seamie O'Neill, he wants a total effort from all 15 players.

"Over the last two years, we have had a rub of the green in terms of the close encounter. I don't think that it is a coincidence we are winning tight games. If you won one tight game or two tight games, you might say we were lucky to get out of that. But, we have won every tight game. That is where Meath's reputation grew throughout the years and that is where I would see this Roscommon team as a Meath, a hard-working tough outfit who never say die."

For the week that is in it, Carr was asked about the treatment meted out to referees. As the world knows, he had a rather heated argument with Michael Curley a few years ago."The whole officiating aspect of GAA is a big bearbug of mine. I don't think the GAA is addressing the core problem and that is the tackling and the referee is the butt-end of it then.

"The game has changed over last 10 years, that is what we need to address. I don't think the yellow card is working. On one Sunday, a player can clothesline a guy, on another Sunday he is sent off for two tugs of the jersey. I think a sin-bin is crucial, because the nature of game has changed dramatically over last 10 years."